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Louisville's Fiber Internet Expansion Opposed By Koch Brothers Group (usatoday.com)
Slashdot reader simkel shared an article from the Courier-Journal:
A group affiliated with the Koch brothers' powerful political network is leading an online campaign against Mayor Greg Fischer's $5.4 million proposal to expand Louisville's ultra-fast internet access... Critics argue that building roughly 96 miles of fiber optic cabling is an unnecessary taxpayer giveaway to internet service providers, such as Google Fiber, which recently announced plans to begin building its high-speed network in the city. "Fundamentally, we don't believe that taxpayers should be funding broadband or internet systems," said David Williams, president of the taxpayers alliance, which is part of industrialists Charles and David Koch's political donor network... The group says $5.4 million is a misuse of taxpayer funds when the city has other needs, such as infrastructure and public safety.
To shore up public support, the mayor has begun arguing that high-speed connectivity would make it cheaper to install crime-monitoring cameras in violent neighborhoods.
To shore up public support, the mayor has begun arguing that high-speed connectivity would make it cheaper to install crime-monitoring cameras in violent neighborhoods.
I saw on Youtube when my local power company was working to get the law changed so they wouldn't have to pay for the extra power solar installations put back into the grid. It was a bunch of old people sitting around talking about something scary that was gonna happen and it ended with "Vote No on Prop such and such". The law passed, no problem
The gov't's been paying for expanding broadband for decades. The Koch bros own companies continue to suck up subsidies left and right. They couldn't be any more transparently hypocritical if they tried. But old people vote. They're easily frightened because they're brains go in old age and this stuff works.
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"Fundamentally, we don't believe that taxpayers should be funding broadband or internet systems,"
Translation: Fundamentally, instead you should let us rake hundreds of millions per year from these same taxpayers with our inferior service.
Ang that for those lucky enough to get anything reasonable at all.
Hah, you make a fine point but unfortunately we can see that the Internet is a utility, whether or not law treats it this way. The internet is not long just a thing that can be had or not had, it has become as much a part of society as electricity is. Much of what someone does from day to day, be it work or otherwise depends on good internet access. You can't buy food unless those local businesss have an affordable (read, not a significant portion of their monthly expenditures) internet connection that allows fast transactions. Not just so you can swipe a card but so the store can account for inventory (it's true cash can be used but as you I'm sure know we don't have enough paper notes for everyone to use cash as their primary spending method). Lots of philosophical conversation can be had beyond this sure but let's keep things focused on what is reality vs what we as a society might be.
Now that infrastructure should not be given away but access could be granted in exchange for either steep discounts or perhaps a munisciple broadband offering.
Or, because the infrastructure belongs to the public, we can then dictate rates to the businesses. Meaning each Mb/s costs a certain amount per month (note I'm referring to rate, not an additive sum). This would allow a competitor to offer more than just access, maybe offering adblocking or offering opendns as the default dns so malware could go away.
In New Zealand, the government (in conjunction with a private company Chorus) is putting in Fibre to something like 90% of the population and high speed wireless elsewhere.
ALL ISPs get to rent it out at the same price.
We have tiers in pricing based on speed and data caps but a 100/20 is available with unlimited data for NZ$95 or less.
Different ISPs offer different packages, i.e. free Netflix, Cheaper SkyTV, Local support, etc etc etc
We have net neutrality, data is data no matter where it comes from.
Here's the thing, the government is elected by the people, for the people. The taxes we pay SHOULD be benefiting us so the government putting in decent internet in this day and age IS what they are there for.
>The group says $5.4 million is a misuse of taxpayer funds
Louisville is apparently 3/4 of a million people, so this comes to seven dollars per person. Surely less than 1% of anybody's property taxes. Louisville undoubtedly spends that on road maintenance every couple of weeks.
But that's just operating, this is capital. If they're spending less than $54M replacing pavement and wires and pipes every year, the city would be a shambles. This is probably about a 2% hit on one year of capital spending.
These bastards must hate the environment, as much as they oppose any regulation to protect it. I'm sure SuperKendall will be along shortly to spew idiocy in defense of the Koch Brothers. Now they want to oppose efforts to improve infrastructure in Louisville. At what point do we decide that these people are just evil and seize their assets for the public good?
If you are OK with the cable monopolies that exist in many cities, then you have a point because this is set up basically the same. Multiple companies will get a chance to bid, but a single company will win, and we know they will pretty much have a stranglehold on the infrastructure after that. I don't know of any cases where a company is such a position has been displaced. Or maybe you saw 'Koch' and decided your position based solely on that?
I don't think we'll ever get there so long as the ability to spend money is legally considered protected speech.
The Koch Brothers opposed Donald Trump and opposed Obama. Their track record of buying election isn't so good. There are many many examples of the best funded candidate losing. Perhaps the voters are not as dumb as you think they are.
Actually all along the Colorado front range, a number of localities have put in fiber, and then have a companies bid on managing the fiber for 5-10 year contracts. As to isps hooking up, they will allow a number of them and they just compete on service.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
The problem with Citizens United, and the claimed free speech rights, is that corporations are a special legal case. Corporations are not people, they are an artificial legal construct which provides special privileges to an organization of people - tax and liability benefits, mostly.
There should be no issue with laws restricting corporate speech. Such laws don't remove any right to free speech. People can still speak collectively, just without the special benefits given to corporations. To answer your specific claim, "It doesn't mention people at all in regards to free speech," I'll note that the Constitution also doesn't mention corporations at all, so they have no right to exist. The law which allows them to be created simply needs to say that speech is not an allowed purpose of a corporation. Organizations of people can then make their choice - free speech rights, or the legal benefits of incorporation. The Declaration of Independence wasn't published by a corporation. As I said, they're entirely a figment of the law, and there's no reason they should have any rights at all, only the privileges and benefits defined by law.
And yes, the above includes for-profit media.
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
Judging from your ignorance, I can see why the US education system is not ranked that high.
The main overseas income earner for New Zealand is Tourism. Dairy is 2nd.
Oh, I have Family who are Maori, and step kids who are Samoan, however I am unsure as to how what ethnic groups are in New Zealand makes a difference to broadband availability.
New Zealand actually took a stand with Nukes, against pressure from Australia, the USA, England, France and to this day Nukes are still banned. Our armed forces are highly regarded around the world because we get along with anyone.
Actually most of the noise about bad trade deals comes from the USA, Trump is especially loud on this.
New Zealands economy is one of the most open in the world.We don't use huge tax payer subsides for our agriculture, unlike the USA where about 10% of famers income comes from subsidies.
Monoculture means one culture, New Zealand has many cultural groups here, Maori, English , German, French, Samoan, Tongan, Chinese,etc etc etc etc. Again, US education system.
Please tell me you are not one of the 7% of Americans who thinks Chocolate Milk comes from brown cows.
And as for the size of our country, well in most things we out perform the expectations based on the population size.